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Mayor de Blasio And City Officials Call On New Yorkers And Local Businesses To Reserve a .NYC Web Address

August 4, 2014

Five-borough awareness campaign encourages New Yorkers to “own it”

NEW YORK—Starting today,all businesses, organizations and residents with a physical address in New York City will have an equal opportunity to reserve a .nyc domain in advance of the official public launch on October 8. The 60-day “landrush” phase offers New Yorkers a chance to reserve the .nyc domain names that are most important to protect or extend their business, brand or identity online. New Yorkers can apply for a .nyc web by visiting www.OwnIt.nyc.

The .nyc domain is part of the creation of a new class of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) that will greatly expand the web’s domain name system. Learn more: on.nyc.gov/1iWyfOo

“The new .nyc domain presents a unique opportunity for New Yorkers, our small businesses, and organizations throughout the five boroughs to brand their identity, showcase their affiliation with the City—and to ‘own’ who they are online,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “As we continue to expand Internet access and put New York City on the digital map, this is a chance for more New Yorkers to claim their piece of the City’s high-demand digital real estate.

“The opening of ‘.nyc’ domain names to the public is another step in New York’s effort to use technology to help connect businesses and community groups with the public,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Small business owners, neighborhood groups, and private citizens now have the chance to claim a domain name signifying that they are part of this City’s vibrant and growing tech community.”

“Technology at its best helps make the world more accessible, and today’s public reservation phase for .nyc is a prime example of that,” said Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Anne M. Roest. “We’re pleased to play a role in helping New Yorkers and New York City small businesses own a virtual piece of our city, and look forward to helping build .nyc into a brand as great as the place it is named after.”

“A strong online presence is critical for success in today’s digital world, and the .nyc domain allows businesses in New York City to leverage New York City’s world-class identity and let buyers from markets around the globe know that they call New York City home,” said Maria Torres-Springer, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. “I encourage New York City’s businesses to “own it,” and also to learn more about free services available to help small businesses build an online presence at www.nyc.gov/nycbusiness.”

“As the first U.S. city to acquire its own top-level domain, New York has an exciting opportunity to galvanize its reputation as the city of possibility. With .nyc, local organizations, small businesses, and individuals can label themselves as a uniquely New York brand. Neighborhoods, too, can benefit from .nyc branding to identify unique products and services, and attract tourism. As a City Council member in 2008, I introduced the resolution that supported the .nyc acquisition. Now, as Manhattan Borough President, I’m thrilled to encourage local service providers and vendors of locally made goods to seize this opportunity to create unique .nyc domain names that identify their neighborhood roots,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer.

“I’m excited to see the .nyc web address taking another significant step forward with this landrush phase. This is a great way for New York City small businesses to improve their brands and grow their online identities, and I encourage people to take full advantage of this opportunity,” said Council Member Vacca, Chair of the Committee on Technology.

“The best city in the world is about to get better with its own dot NYC domain—and it is only for New Yorkers. Businesses can show that they are local and proud New Yorkers by getting their dot NYC,” said Council Member Ben Kallos. “This opportunity to support our City’s small businesses and grow jobs with dot NYC is thanks to Thomas Lowenhaupt, who has made his singular vision into a reality through years of unwavering advocacy; the understanding and support of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer during her years in the Council; and the leadership on technology of Mayor Bill de Blasio. I look forward to working with all of them to make sure that businesses know that if they want to make sure they have a chance to reserve their dot NYC, the landrush over the next 60 days is the best time to do it, before they miss out and dot NYC is first come, first served.”

To raise awareness of the landrush phase, the City’s official registry, Neustar, is teaming up with business groups, community partners, and City agencies on a five-borough outreach campaign to celebrate the people, places and ideas that make New York unique; promote the new .nyc domain; and encourage New Yorkers to “own it.” The campaign will kick off with “Moment to Own It” countdown, enlisting New Yorkers to help identify and reveal the City’s top 100 ‘Own It’ moments. The campaign will include digital and social media outreach, signage on bus shelters and newsstands, radio and other targeted advertising, as well as special events to engage small businesses, organizations and residents across the five boroughs.

“The launch of the .nyc domain is an important moment in New York City’s history, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it,” said Lisa Hook, President and CEO of Neustar, Inc. “We hope that individuals and organizations from across the City will take advantage of landrush by registering for a piece of their own .nyc digital real estate, and that they will share their unique New York City stories with us during our ‘Moment to Own It’ campaign.”

“This is a significant milestone for our organization and our diverse membership,” said Mark Jaffe, President & CEO of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce. “We look forward to being one of the first local business groups to adopt a .nyc web address, and we’ll be encouraging our entire database of 30,000 businesses to enhance their New York City presence by securing their brand on .nyc.”

In a further effort to inspire meaningful use and development of the .nyc namespace, the City of New York is also launching Neighborhoods.nyc, an open application process for community groups to receive a premium neighborhood domain name like Harlem.nyc, Astoria.nyc or ParkSlope.nyc. The City has reserved roughly 400 neighborhood names for use by community groups to develop new online hubs for civic engagement, online organizing, and information-sharing. The first set of neighborhood names will become available in late 2014 and will be licensed through a competitive application process. In order to be eligible for a .nyc neighborhood name, organizations must be registered as a not-for-profit, public benefit corporation or local development corporation, and be located within the neighborhood for which the .nyc domain name is sought. To learn more, visit Neighborhoods.nyc.

“The roll out of .nyc neighborhoods names is yet another economic development tool community based organizations, like BIDs, can utilize to support local economies throughout the five boroughs,” said Tim Laughlin, Executive Director of the Lower East Side Business Improvement District and Chair of the NYC BID Association’s .nyc Working Group. “The opportunity to create dynamic digital destinations in individual neighborhoods will further our ability to help small business owners grow and succeed in an increasingly digital world.”

During the landrush phase of .nyc, a domain name will be allocated to an applicant if there is only one applicant for that particular domain name. If two or more people apply for the same .nyc domain name during this period, an online auction will determine who is assigned the name. The .nyc web address will then become available to the general public on a first come, first-served basis, starting on October 8, 2014.

For more information about .nyc and the application process, visit OwnIt.nyc.